Vulnerably Beautiful

There you are at church, and worship begins, but you are not feeling it. No awe of God. No love for him. Nothing. What should you do? Should you go through the motions anyway? Should you leave and come back next Sunday for another try? What should you do? What Jesus Taught Jesus taught that true worship must involve both spirit and truth: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) So we must worship in truth — which means worshiping the true God as revealed in Jesus Christ as recorded in Scripture. But what does it mean to worship in spirit? Two Clues from John’s Gospel “The Hebrew word for ‘waiting’ does not mean passive waiting; it means eager seeking.” One clue is that John’s gospel uses the word “spirit” to refer to feelings and emotions. You can see that in John 13:21: “After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit.” The other clue is that in John 3:6 the word “spirit” refers to something supernaturally produced in us by ...

Dear Daughter, I see the way you look at yourself in the mirror each morning. I see the scowl on your face when your hair doesn't curl just right, and that redness of your skin you can't hide. My darling, I see the way you frown in disappointment after trying on six different tee shirts-- none quite fitting the way you would like. I know, my love, I know how hard it is when your world seems like it is crashing down while everyone else's is thriving. You will get your turn though soon. Soon you will get your shot; you will get your turn to shine for me. Stop comparing yourself to that girls Instagram photo; what you see is a brief display of a filtered to perfection photo that she chooses to show in her life.. it isn't reality. Send away those feelings of jealousy; you may not know what she is hiding behind that so-called perfect photo.  My precious, I understand what it feels like to be alone, I have been there. I know what it is like to cry out and ask for something...